That is not what I was saying, though. Emphasis is on "rubbing it under the nose of the recipient". By the way, no, art hasn't "always" been political, your history of art otherwise couldn't go farther back than say 100 years at best. For example, during the entire middle ages, artists were replicating nature in their works, and their work was always based on a specific commission by some worldly elite. And yes, modern art has always been very political. However, an artist is smart enough to not let petty day to day politics contaminate his work. The piece will have meaning on a political level and might even comment on relatively specific issues political in nature. But it will always leave the work as whole open to interpretation by the recipient to avoid insulting the intellect of the viewer/reader/listener.
Edit: I have to correct myself, its more like 150 years instead of 100 for art being somewhat political, depending on where you draw the line blah blah blah